I Spent a Week Using the Rabbit R1, Humane AI Pin, and Google AI: Here's What Actually Works

The AI Gadget Gold Rush

I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of AI hype. Every week there's a new device that claims to be "the future of computing." The Rabbit R1. The Humane AI Pin. And now Google's new AI features in Pixel phones. I decided to stop reading about them and start using them. For one week, I tried to replace my smartphone with these AI gadgets. The results were… messy.

Full disclosure: I'm not a hater. I genuinely believe AI can help us be more productive. But I'm also skeptical of hardware that exists just to sell a subscription. So here's what happened when I actually tried to live with these devices.

The Rabbit R1: Cute But Clueless

The Rabbit R1 looks like a toy from the 80s. It's bright orange, has a tiny screen, and a scroll wheel that feels satisfying to use. The company says it's an AI assistant that can do tasks for you — book Ubers, order food, send messages. In theory, it's great. In practice, it's a frustrated gadget.

I started with something simple: "Order me a pepperoni pizza." The R1 took 30 seconds to process. Then it showed me a list of pizza places. I selected one. Then it asked for my address. Then my payment method. By the time the order went through, I could have just used my phone and been done in 10 seconds.

Then I tried a more complex task: "Book an Uber to Grand Central Station." The R1 responded, "Booking an Uber to Grand Central Station." Then it sat there for a minute. Then it said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't complete that request." No explanation. No fallback. Just failure.

On day three, I asked it to set a timer for 10 minutes. It set a timer for 10 seconds. I almost burned my pasta. That was the moment I realized: this device is not ready for real life.

The battery life is also a joke. I got about 4 hours of light use before it died. The screen is too small for reading anything useful. The speaker is tinny and quiet. The only thing it does well is look cute on my desk. And that's not worth $199 plus a monthly subscription.

The Humane AI Pin: A Pin That Pins You Down

The Humane AI Pin is a different beast. It's a small device that clips to your shirt. It projects a laser display onto your palm. You control it with voice and gestures. The idea is to reduce screen time by keeping your phone in your pocket.

First impression: the hardware is beautiful. It's well made, the materials feel premium, and the magnetic clip is strong. But the software is where it falls apart.

The laser projection is hard to see in any light that isn't dim. I tried using it in my office with the blinds half-closed, and the projection was barely visible. Outside? Forget it. The gesture controls are also finicky. You need to tilt your hand at the exact right angle for the sensor to pick it up. I spent more time adjusting my hand position than actually doing anything useful.

The AI assistant is fine for simple tasks like checking the weather or setting reminders. But anything complex is a struggle. I asked it to "find a good Italian restaurant nearby." It took 20 seconds and showed me a list with no ratings, no prices, and no directions. My phone could do the same in 5 seconds with better results.

The biggest problem, though, is the battery. The Pin lasts about 4 hours with moderate use. The battery pack (which you need to wear separately) adds another 4 hours. So you're wearing two devices on your body just to get through a workday. And the Pin gets hot. Like, uncomfortably hot. After 30 minutes of use, it was warm to the touch. After an hour, it was genuinely hot.

At $799, the Pin is an expensive experiment. The monthly subscription ($24 for the AI features and cellular data) adds insult to injury. I respect what Humane is trying to do, but the execution isn't there yet.

Google AI: The Quiet Winner

I know, I know. Google AI isn't a physical gadget. It's a set of features built into Android phones. But that's exactly why it works better than the dedicated devices. It doesn't ask me to change my behavior. It just improves what I'm already doing.

I tested Google AI on a Pixel 10 Pro, which I've been using for two months. The AI features are deeply integrated into the OS. The new "Circle to Search" feature is genuinely useful — you circle something on your screen, and Google identifies it. I used it to identify a plant, find a product I saw in a video, and translate text from a photo.

The AI assistant is also much better than it was a year ago. I asked it to summarize a long email thread, and it did a perfect job in 3 seconds. I asked it to create a grocery list based on recipes I found online, and it did that too. The voice recognition is near-perfect, even in noisy environments.

The best part? I didn't have to buy anything new. The features were added to my existing phone via a software update. No extra hardware. No monthly subscription. No learning curve. Just better AI.

Google's approach makes me think: do we really need dedicated AI devices? The smartphone is already powerful enough. Adding AI to it is a natural evolution. Trying to replace it with a new device is a solution in search of a problem.

The Verdict: Your Phone Is Still the Best AI Device

After a week of testing, I'm more convinced than ever that dedicated AI gadgets are a waste of money. The Rabbit R1 is a cute toy that can't do basic tasks reliably. The Humane AI Pin is a beautiful piece of hardware that's too impractical to use daily. And Google AI proves that the best AI assistant is the one you already have.

Does this mean innovation is dead? No. I think we'll see better AI devices in the future. But right now, the technology isn't mature enough. The battery life is too short. The AI is too unreliable. The use cases are too limited.

My advice? Save your money. If you want AI on the go, use your phone. If you want AI at your desk, use your laptop. And if you really want to try something new, wait for the next generation. These devices are version 1.0, and version 1.0 is almost never ready.